Imagine Peace

 Cover of A Christmas of Light And Peace: Advent 2022 booklet from Unity Worldwide Ministries.

[This is an edited version of a talk I gave at Unity Lincoln (Nebraska) on the Second Sunday of Advent, December 4, 2022.]

Those of us who celebrate Christmas understand that peace is the true meaning of Christmas. But don't take my word for it. This comes straight from Linus in "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward all men.

Now, ironically, the best vision of "peace on earth, goodwill toward all people" that I've heard comes from John Lennon, who once said that his band, The Beatles, was more popular than Jesus.

But after The Beatles broke up, Lennon wrote his signature song, "Imagine."

Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us, only sky

Imagine all the people

Livin' for today

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion, too

Imagine all the people

Livin' life in peace

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one

The first verse, (imagine there's no heaven) makes me think of peace as a feeling. What you might call "inner peace."  with God, the universe, and everything, and with oneself. No fear of death, no worrying about the afterlife. No fear of believing the wrong things or of failure to conform to the right doctrines and dogmas. No living in a hell of guilt, regret, anxiety, or shame.

Now, it is true that Jesus - the grown-up Jesus - talked about heaven. A lot. But he didn't talk about heaven as a place we go to after we die. He talked about the "kingdom of heaven" as a very real presence right here and right now.   "The kingdom of heaven is at hand," meaning, right here. "The kingdom of God is within you" and "ye are gods."

The "kingdom of heaven" that Jesus talked about is a kingdom where, as John Lennon sang, all the people are livin' for today. A kingdom of peace.

The second verse, (imagine there's no countries) envisions a world with no political divisions or religious conflicts. The verse makes me think of peace as a condition or "state of affairs." Where you feel safe in your home, your neighborhood, your country, and anywhere in the world. I think that's what many of us mean when we pray for "world peace."

Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." 

Jesus also said,  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

The third verse (imagine no possessions) makes me think of peace as an action. Peace as love. It envisions a world where not only would I love my neighbor as myself, but I would love a stranger as I would my own family, because what else does the "brotherhood of man" mean, but that we are one family?

As Jesus said “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

He also said, "When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind."

Jesus also said,  "All ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant."

The letters of the Apostle Paul mention repeatedly that Christ is in you. The Christ presence withiin you could be called the higher self or the spiritual self. We obey this master, Christ, so that Christ may be our servant, leading us to our highest good.

Jesus let the Christ within him become entirely one with him, so that whatever Jesus said or did, that was the Christ within speaking. Jesus, Christ, Jesus Christ, and Christ Jesus are virtually synonymous. Celebrating the birth of Jesus is the celebration of the birth of Christ within each of us.

This Christ is our savior. And this Christ, this savior, resides in our imagination.  

As I have done before, I'm going to quote from Neville Goddard:

"If you are hungry, your savior is food. If you are poor, your savior is riches. If you are imprisoned, your savior is freedom. If you are diseased, it will not be a man called Jesus who will save you, but health will become your savior."

To that, I will add: if you are in a war, in a battle, in a quarrel, or another kind of conflict, peace will be your savior.

But peace doesn't just randomly happen. It has to be imagined first. And if you can experience peace in your imagination, with the Christ within you, you are already saved. Because the best time to have peace is right now.

The Christ we celebrate at Christmas wasn't born in you just once. Christ can be reborn in you whenever you have missed the mark, whenever you've lost your way, whenever you've lost your sense of peace. Christ can be reborn within you every year at Christmastime. Or, like me, Christ might have to be reborn multiple times every day by reclaiming, by imagining, that which is good and joyful and peaceful.

I'm going to give an example of imagining peace relevant to Christmastime. It's from John Lennon's Beatle bandmate Paul McCartney.

It's the music video of a song called "Pipes of Peace" from 1983. The song didn't become a hit, but it has an incredible music video.

It's based on true events of the World War I trenches in France on Christmas Day, 1914. McCartney plays both an English soldier and a German soldier; he's wearing a mustache as the German. They're in the trenches and each receives a letter with a picture of his wife and infant child. 

There is a pause in the artillery shelling, and the two sides decide to leave their trenches and greet their enemies to wish them a happy Christmas. After the Paul McCartneys shake hands, the rest of the troops do as well. The troops share candy, they share a bottle, and they kick around a ball. The two McCartneys exchange the letters from their wives so they could see the photo of each other's family, but the shelling resumes and they have to retreat back to their trenches. Back in the trench, the English McCartney then looks at his letter and photo and sees that it's of the German mother and infant. But he smiles and closes his eyes.

His savior, Christ the Lord, brought peace to him in his imagination even as the physical environment around him was the opposite of peace.

If the scene of Mary and the baby Jesus is too abstract, or if you believe the Christmas story is fiction, might I still suggest that when you are angry or anxious, think of a mother and her sleeping newborn. They don't deserve to have their peace disrupted. 

And guess what?  Neither do you.

Here are words from the Apostle Paul:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things [Might I say Imagine these things]. As for the things that you have learned and received and heard and noticed in me, do them, and the God of peace will be with you.

I'll close with words from the Reverand Jim Blake, CEO of Unity World Headquarters. It's his piece "Igniting Hope in the World" from A Christmas of Light and Hope Advent 2022. 

"Mustn’t we then take it upon ourselves to lead by example? Can we find it in ourselves to acknowledge the turbulence in the world and at the same time commit to exuding peace and light to ignite hope in those around us? 

I think this may be our call this season—to shine forth our inner light of love and hope for all to see, to once again connect with the magic and nostalgia of the season, and to embrace the childlike love and enthusiasm of the season."

Peace be with you and Merry Christmas!

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support! You may contact him for your writing, editing, and research needs: jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.